John Raitt "MAGDALENA" Irra Petina / Wright & Forrest 1948 FLOP Souvenir Program

Description

This is a rare souvenir program with an August 16th, 1948 broadside from the WORLD PREMIERE and Pre-Broadway engagement of the ROBERT WRIGHT and GEORGE FORREST musical "MAGDALENA" at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco, California. (The production would open September 20th, 1948 at New York's Ziegfeld Theatre and close after only 88 performances.) ..... Using the music of South America's Foremost Composer HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS, the show starred IRRA PETINA, JOHN RAITT, DOROTHY SARNOFF and HUGO HAAS and featured a cast of over 100 ..... Side Note: The musical had been in the works for more than three years and at the time was the costliest production in theatre history ..... CREDITS: Music by HEITOR VILLA LOBOS; Lyrics and Adaptation by ROBERT WRIGHT and GEORGE FORREST ("Song of Norway", "Kismet", "At the Grand", "Kean", "Anya", "Timbuktu", "Grand Hotel"); Book by FREDERICK HAZLITT BRENNAN and HOMER CURRAN; Sets designed by HOWARD BAY; Costumes designed by IRENE SHARAFF; Choreographed by JACK COLE; Directed by JULES DASSIN; Produced by HOMER CURRAN and EDWIN LESTER ..... DETAILS: The oversized 24 page program measures 9" X 12" inches and includes full production credits, cast list, synopsis of scenes, list of musical numbers, photos and bios of each of the leading actors and members of the creative team and several pages of production photos. The single page, two-sided broadside measures 5 1/2" X 16" inches and includes full production credits, cast list, synopsis of scenes and list of musical numbers, but no cast photos or bios ..... PLEASE NOTE: The scanned pages have been cropped due to the limitations of my scanner. The margins are slightly wider than shown ..... CONDITION: With the exception of minor discoloration inside the back cover left by the broadside, this program is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any musical theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.